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Skip’s Chicken Scarpariello Chicken, Shoemaker's-Style Excerpted from my second cookbook, "Almost Italian."
Ingredients:
2 ½ — 3 Lb. Frying chicken cut into 8 pieces 4 Tbs. Olive oil 4 Cloves garlic, peeled, and sliced thinly 1 Cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Verdicchio are popular choices) 6 - 8 hot cherry peppers, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped 1 14 oz. Can chicken broth (preferably low sodium) 4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley 2 Tbs. Unsalted butter Juice of 1 lemon Salt & freshly ground black pepper Six Links sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1 in. chunks (optional) 4 Tbs. Flat-leaf Italian parsley
Preparation:
Season chicken pieces on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, then add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, being careful not to let garlic burn.
Add chicken pieces to sauté pan without crowding. Do this step in batches if necessary. Cook chicken pieces, turning occasionally, until they’re golden brown all over; about 10 minutes. Remove chicken pieces from pan and reserve on a plate, covering them with aluminum foil.
Raise heat to high, and add wine. Boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any bits of chicken that may have caramelized on bottom of pan, for about 2 minutes. Add cherry peppers, chicken broth, parsley, and butter. Allow mixture to return to boil, then stir in lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.
Lower heat to simmer, return chicken to pan, and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. For a real wise guy presentation, add sausage at this point too.
To Serve
Remove chicken (and optional sausage) pieces to a platter, cover with sauce and garnish with parsley. Serve with plenty of Italian bread for sopping up sauce.
Serves four
Skip Lombardi is the author of two cookbooks: "La Cucina dei Poveri: Recipes from my Sicilian Grandparents," and "Almost Italian: Recipes from America's Little Italys." Visit his Web site to learn more about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com For comments or questions, e-mail at info@skiplombardi.com